Loose-leaf binder.



R. M. WATSON.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED 1511.1. 1915.'

Patented 1160.111915.

HvEHToR u! 1 i Wam. Cfn'ToWwEY XMTHESSES MN- y usaran srafrns narrar onirica RICHARD IVI. WATSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

To all whom z'z may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD M. WATSON, citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Loose-Leaf Binders, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to loose-leaf binders and has for its object a loose-leaf binder complete in three metal pieces. It is so arranged that only one shell member is necessary, and no cover, stops or other devices to prevent the lioolccarrying members from coming apart are necessary.

One of the chief features of the invention is the means that I have devised for attaching the loose-leaf binder to the covers of a book. This will more fully appear in the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a reverse plan view of the loose-leaf binder showing portions of the attaching fabric and cover fabric. Fig. 2 is a cross section through the binder, the attaching fabric and cover fabric, showing the hooks closed. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the hooks opened.

I employ a single shell a to house the hook-carrying rods b. This shell is preferably flat on top and turned over at its edges to form journals c for the hook-carrying rods b. The hook-carrying rods are bent up at their ends to form the hooks e which are properly pointed and recessed to engage together and cause the hook portions to register. Of course the hooks may be otherwise mounted upon the hook-carrying rods, and for that matter there may be more than two pairs of hooks. The hook-carrying rods b are bent to form converging portions f, or what might be termed V-portions. The V- portions of two opposite rods engage with a tooth and notch engagement, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

rIhe spring action necessary to keep the hooks in opened or closed position is preferably secured by the yielding of the converging portions or Vs of the hook-carrying rods. As the Vs pass a dead center they are compressed more between the opposite sides of the shell than at any other time.

Serial N o. 5,346.

Consequently they resist being forced toward or past the dead center, and this keeps them in opened or closed position. The top of the shell a keeps the V-portions of the hook-carrying rods from separating while the interengagement of the hooks when in closed position as shown in Fig. 2, prevents the Vs from separating when on the opposite side of the dead center.

It has been recognized by manufacturers of loose-leaf books that the most satisfactory way and the neatest way of fastening a loose-leaf binder to book covers or the back 1s by using a fabric rather than by metal fastening devices which usually must be pierced clear through the back or the covers and show on the outside. In the now well known toggle form of loose-leaf binder it has been quite customary to use these attaching fabrics, but it has been necessary to employ a cover to clamp the fabric between the housing shell and the cover. It has also been suggested to pass prongs of the shell through the fabric, but this has been found unsatisfactory as the fabric tears and the binder becomes loose. It is to obviate these difficulties that the present invention is designed. In other words, this invention secures a suitable fastening of the fabric to the housing shell without the necessity of employing an eXtra metallic member such as a cover.

The shell. a, of the shape and kind as shown in the drawings, is employed and the attaching fabric g is placed in the interior of the shell and the journals of the shell. The hookcarrying wires are then fitted in and put under stress and they serve to hold the main part of the fabric in place. I have found by experiments that the use of the hook-carrying wires for holding the fabric in place in no way interferes with the action of these hook-carrying members while rotating in their journals. It would, therefore, be apparent that a single shell with shallow turned-over bearings is all the housing that is necessary for the operating devices, yet these operating devices are completely concealed, for when the shell a is applied to the back of the bock, the back of the book conceals the underside of the operating devices while the shell conceals the upper part. However, inasmuch as considerable glue is used in fastening the fabric 7 to the covers of the book, I fasten a cover strip or fabric to the attaching `fabric g so as to protectthe inside of the housing from glue which might otherwise get into the housing and into the'hoolr-carrying members from the back of the book.

In each end of the shell a beyond the hook-carrying rods, I insert a member for holding the attaching fabric in the journals of the shell in much the saine manner as the hook-carrying rods hold the fabric in place.

I have chosen to show in the drawings a members being arranged to give spring action, hooks rising from the lioolrcarrying members and engaging at their free ends, and an attaching fabric extendingaround the inside of the journals and the inside of the shell, the said attaching fabric being held in place by the hook-carrying members.

2. A loose-leaf binder, having in combination, a shell provided with turned-over edges forming journals, hook-carrying rods intel-engaging and kjournaled in the said journals, the said shell and hook-carrying rods being arranged to afford spring action, hooks rising from the shell adapted to engage at their free ends, said hooks being mounted upon said hook-carrying rods, and an attaching fabric laid on the inside of the Vjournals and the shell and held in place by the said hook-carrying rods.v

3. A loose-leaf binder, having in combination, a shell provided with turnedover edges, hook-carrying members journaled in the turned-over edges of the shell and interengaging with each other, said hook-carrying members and shell being arranged to afford the necessary spring action to keep ythe hooks in opened or closed position, the

said hooks rising from the hook-carrying members, and an attaching fabric laid on the inside of the shell and the journals, the

said attaching fabric being'held in place by the hook-carrying members.

' eli. YA loose-leaf binder, having in combination, a shell with turned-over edges forms ing journals, hook-carrying members rotatably mounted in said journals and interengaging, the said hookcarrying members being arranged to give a. spring action, hooks secured on ythe hook-carrying members, and an attaching fabric laidon the inside of the journals and shell and held in place by the hook-carrying members.

5. vA loose #leaf binder, having in combination, a shell provided With turned-over edges forming journals, hook-carrying members rotatably mounted in said journals and somewhat shorter than lthe complete length of the shell, hooks on said members protruding through the shell and interengaging at their free ends, the said hooks being held in opened or closed position by a spring action afforded by thefcoperation of the shell and hook-carrying members, an attaching fabric laid on the inside of Athe journals and'shellV and held in place by the saidhook-carrying members, and members insertible in the ends Y of the shell to hold the fabric in place Where the hook-carrying members do not do this.

6. A loose-leaf binder, having in combination, a shell with turned-over edges forming journals, hook-carrying members rota.-

tably mounted in the journals, hooks'secured to the hook-carrying members and protruding through the shell and meeting at their free ends, the said shell and hook-carrying members being arranged to afford the spring action necessary to keep the hooks in opened or closed position, an attaching fabric laid on the inside of the journals and the shell and held in place by the hook-carrying members, and a covering fabric secured to the attaching fabric and stretched over the onen space between the two journal portions of the shell.

In testimony whereof, I signv this specification in the presence of tivo Witnesses;

RICHARD M. WATSON. Vitness'es STUART C. BARNES, VIRGINIA C. SPRATT.

Copies of this patent may be Aobtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

